At the end of Day 8, the Winter Olympic powerhouse leads the way.

With more than half of the total events now contested at Milan Cortina, Norway leads all countries with 20 medals. The nation was tied with Italy heading into Saturday, but a two-medal day gave Norwegian athletes an edge with 57 of 116 events remaining at the 2026 Games.

After securing 39 podium finishes in PyeongChang and 37 in Beijing, Norway is aiming to become the first nation in 20 years to lead the medal count at three consecutive Winter Olympics. The last country to accomplish the feat was Germany in 1998, 2002 and 2006.

When it comes to all-time statistics, Norway is the clear dominant force in winter sports competition. The small but mighty country entered the 2026 Games with 406 total medals, an astonishing 76 more than the United States, the next-closest country. Norway also arrived at Milan Cortina leading the way in gold medals, with 148. At the 2022 Games, Norway set the record for most gold medals won by any nation at a single Winter Olympic Games (16).

On Saturday, Norway struck gold twice.

In the third event of her first Olympic Games, Maren Kirkeeide was victorious in the women's 7.5km biathlon sprint. The victory came after Kirkeeide and her teammates narrowly missed the podium with a 4th-place finish in the biathlon mixed relay on Feb. 8.

Norway also secured a shocking upset victory over Sweden in the women’s 4x7.5km cross-country skiing relay. Sweden was heavily favored to win the event, but suffered two crashes during the second leg of the race. The Norwegian team of Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes, Astrid Oeyre Slind, Karoline Simpson-Larsen and Heidi Weng took advantage and built a sizable lead enroute to their 1st-place finish.

Some have asked, and many more have wondered, how is such a small country so dominant on the world’s biggest stage? Norway certainly has snow and mountainous terrain that make for ideal training conditions, but so do several other countries. 

The thing that truly sets Norway apart is the way Norwegians approach sports. At the youth level, there is no scorekeeping, timekeeping or rankings. Children are encouraged to participate in a variety of sports, all with the goal of having fun and enjoying the outdoors. As a result of the positive environment, sports are a way of life in Norway — and many kids continue participating into their teenage years.

But it’s not all fun and games forever. When children turn 13, Norway begins to identify those with potential and then invests in their development. Even individuals that do not go on to compete at the highest level, though, typically remain active throughout their lives.

By far, Norway has had the most success in cross-country skiing. It makes sense, given that the sport is often considered the country’s national pastime.

At the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, or “King Klaebo,” has made headlines for tying the most Winter Olympic gold medals ever won by an individual. He has won the men's 10km free, sprint classic and skiathlon at the 2026 Games, pushing his lifetime total to eight gold medals. The three other athletes with that amount? Two cross-country skiers and one biathlete — all from Norway.

Klaebo will be chasing history on Sunday when he anchors the men’s cross-country skiing 4x7.5km relay. With a 1st-place finish in the event, Klaebo would earn his ninth gold medal, the most of any Winter Olympic athlete.

Norway has also historically experienced a fair amount of success in speed skating and biathlon. At the Milan Cortina Games, Norway has claimed eight medals in cross-country skiing, five in biathlon, and three in speed skating.